Refrigerator



DSC. 2, 1941- w. A. KUENzLl 2,264,536

REFRIGERATOR Filed April l2, 1937 Patented Dec. 2, `1941 REFRIGERATOR I Walter A. Kuenzli, Evansville, luth-assigner to Servei, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 12, 1937, Serial No. 136,256

3 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to refrigerator door structure.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved refrigerator door structure in which a minimum number of parts are employed and in which the assembly of the door is facilitated considerably. I accomplish this by providing corner brackets for the inner and outer wall members of a door, the corner brackets being secured to both the inner and outer wall members and constituting the frame structure for the door. The corner brackets are preferably arranged to serve as sections or parts of a breaker strip extending about the periphery of the door.

The invention, together with the objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and of which Fig. 1 is' a front elevation of a refrigerator provided with a door embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear elevation, partly broken away, of the door illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly broken away and in section, of a corner of the door shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views taken at lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a modification of the invention; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a part shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. l, I have shown a refrigerator comprising a cabinet Ill-having a thermally insulated storagefspace into which access may be had by a door I2 hinged to the front of the cabinet. Within the storage space II is arranged a cooling element I4 for producing cold and maintaining space II at a desired low temperature.

The door I2 includes inner and outer wall members I5 and I6 having'the space therebetween iilled with a suitable heat insulating material I1. The inner wall member I5 is provided with an inclined flange I8 which extends toward the outer wall member I6. The outer wall member I6 extends beyond the inner wall member I5 and is bent back upon itself to form a ledge I9 which overlies the front exterior wall of the cabinet IIIwhen the door is in its closed position. The extreme peripheral edgeV portion 20 of the outer wall member I6 is inclined to the ledge I9 and extends toward the inner wall member I5.

A multi-s'ection gasket is provided at the ledge I9 for effectively sealing the door I2 when it is locked in its closed position. 'I'he gasket includes corner pieces 2| located at the corners of the `door and straight pieces 22 extending between the corner pieces 2|. 'I'he corner and straight pieces 2| and 22 of the gasket are formed of a suitable resilient material, such as rubber, for example, the corner pieces 2| preferably being molded into the desired shape with a radius of curvature which conforms to the curved or rounded corners of the door.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the corner pieces 2| are formed with an intermediate at portion 23 having a hollow striking bead 24 at the curved outer edge thereof, and an inner edge portion 25 which is at an angle and'inclined to the iiat portion 23. The at portion 23 and striking bead 24 bear against the inside of ledge I9, and the inclined portion 25 bears against the inclined iiange 20 of the outer wall memberv I6.

The straight pieces 22 of the gasket, which may be formed of extruded rubber, are similar in cross-section to the molded corner pieces 2| and are provided with a iiat portion 26 having a hollow striking bead 21 at the outer edge thereof. In order that the striking beads 24 and 21 will in effect form a continuous striking bead about the ledge I9, the corner pieces 2| are provided with tongues 28 which are semi-circular in; shape and extend beyond the ends lof the striking beads 24. The tongues 28 extend and iit into the hollow ends of the striking beads 21, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the striking beads 24 and 21 are effectively joined and connected to.

gether. The corner pieces 2| and straight pieces 22 preferably are of such length that the force applied to the striking bead when the door is closed will eiectively seal the joints between thel against the ange I8. The breaker strip portion` 290i the combined gasket and breaker strip may be formed of harder rubber than the gasket portion 22, particularly the striking bead 21 which is preferably formed of soft rubber. The combined gasket and breaker strip is so formed and shaped that the space Vbetween the flanges I8 and 20 is effectively sealed with the anges snugly fitting into the grooves formed by the lips 30.

In accordance with my invention, the inner and outer wall members l and I 6 are maintained in spaced relation by four corner brackets 3l which serve as a frame structure for the door. The brackets 3I, which may be formed of metal or other suitable material, are curved or rounded to conform to the rounded corners of the Vdoor and include an inclined portion 32 and a ange 33. The inner edge of the inclined portion 32 is secured by screws 34 to the ange I8 of the inner wall member I5. The iiange 33 is also secured by screws 35 to the inside of the ledge I9. By interposing the fiat and inclined portions 23 and 25 of the corner pieces 2i between the brackets 3i and the outer wall member i6, the inner and outer wall members are effectively insulated from each other.

In addition to serving as a frame structure for the door, the corner brackets 3| are also utilized as sections or parts of the breaker strip about the periphery of the door. The brackets 3i conneet or join the strips 29 at the sides of the door and slightly overlap the ends of the latter, as indicated at 36 in Fig. 3, whereby the entire periphery of the door is effectively sealed.

It will now be understood that an improved door structure has been provided in which a minimum number of parts are employed and which is easily assembled. After the inner/'and outer wall members I5 and I6 are blanked with openings at the corners of the flange I9 and ledge I9, as indicated at 3l and 38, respectively, the insulating material is placed in position against the inside of the outer wail member I6. The corner pieces 2I and combined gasket 22 and breaker strips 29 are then placed about the ledge I9 with the flange 2U snugly fitting into the outer groove of the breaker strips 29. 'Ihe corner pieces 2| are positioned at the corners of the ledge I9 so that the openings in the corner pieces and in the ledge are in alignment. The flange 33 of the corner brackets 3I are then secured to the ledge I9 by the screws 35. With the brackets 3| secured to the outer wall member I6, the inner wall member I5 is placed in position so that the flange I8 snugly fits into the inner groove of the breaker strips 29. The brackets 3| are next secured to the flange I8 by the screws 34 to complete the assembly of the door structure.

In order to avoid cracking of the'porcelain enamel at the corners of the inner wall member I5 when the brackets 3I are secured thereto by the screws 34, the door structure just described may be modified in the manner shown in Fig. 6. In the modification the flange I8 of the inner wall member I5 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings at the door corners, only one of which is shown in Fig. 6. Before the inner-wall member is porcelain enameled, or finished in any other suitable manner, a speed nut 39 is secured in place at each of the openings by bending over the tabs 40. When the brackets 3I are secured to the inner wall member I5, the screws 4I are tightened up on the speed nuts 39. In this manner any likelihood of cracking the porcelain enamel of the inner wall member I5 is completely avoided.

While several embodiments of my improved refrigerator door structure have been shown and described, such variations and modifications are contemplated as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention, as pointed out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Refrigerator cabinet structure including a door and having spaced apart wall members, one of said wall members having openings adjacent the edge portions thereof, brackets for maintaining said members inspaced relation, attaching means for securing said brackets to said Wall members comprising means for removably attaching one side of said brackets to one of said wall members and a second attaching means for removably securing the other side of said brackets to the other of said wall members, said second attaching means comprising a pair of cooperating elements one of which is removably secured to said wall member within said openings and positioned to underlie said brackets, and means connecting said element to the overlying portions of said brackets and adapted to space said overlying portions from said elements at a distance sufficient to enable the other of said cooperating elements to take up all the play and draw said brackets and said one wall member tightly together.

2. In a refrigerator door having spaced apart wall members. one of said wall members having openings at the corners thereof, nuts removably secured in said openings, brackets at the corners of said door constituting the frame structure for maintaining said members in spaced relationship, screws cooperating with said nuts for securing said bracket to said one wall member, means for attaching said brackets to said wall members, said attaching means comprising removable means for securing one side of said bracket to one of said members, and means, in the region of said openings, on said other Wall member and adjacent to and underlying the other side of said bracket and coacting with means on said bracket for maintainingv said wall member and said bracket in spaced relation whereby the overlying portions of said brackets are spaced from said nuts to ensure tightly securing said brackets to one of said wall members when said screws are drawn on said nuts.

3. Refrigerator cabinet structure'including a. door and having spaced apart wall members, one of said wall members having openings adjacent the edge portions thereof, brackets for maintaining said members in spaced relation, attaching means for securing said brackets to said wall members comprising means for removably at.

taching one side of said brackets to one of said wall members and a second attaching means for removably securing the other side of said brackets to the other of said wall members, said second attaching means comprising a pair of cooperating elements one of which is removably secured to .said wall member within said openings and positioned to underlie said brackets, and means connecting said element to. the overlying portions of said brackets and adapted to coact with means on said bracket to space said overlying portions from said elements at a distance sufficient to enable the other of said cooperating elements to take up all the play and draw said brackets and said one wall member tightly together.

WALTER A. KIJENZLI. 

